Barney Mysteries - 01 - The Rockingdown Mystery by Enid Blyton

Author:Enid Blyton
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Children's Fiction
Published: 1949-02-24T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

SNUBBY IS NOT VERY CLEVER

Mr. King at last went off in another direction altogether, much to Snubby’s surprise. He took a look at his map and set off to the south, across rough country - hilly country too. Snubby who hadn’t the faintest idea where he was, and felt that he was miles from home, looked after Mr. King with exasperation.

“Now where’s he going? What a wild goose chase this is!”

He waited till Mr. King was out of sight behind a small clump of trees and then went as quickly as he could to where he had seen him stop by the stream. There was a tiny creek there - a little backwater, with trees and bushes overhanging. Pulled right back in the creek, almost hidden under a bush was a boat. It had no name. A couple of oars lay in it, and a coil of rope. Nothing else. How mysterious!

Snubby gazed at the lonely little boat. Who owned it? There didn’t appear to be a house within miles. What a strange thing to leave a boat here, on this stream, hidden like that. Why? Who used it? And where did the owner live? Snubby wished he had fieldglasses like Mr. King. Then he could have swept the countryside with them and found out if any cottage or house was hidden in a corner of the hills.

By the time he had finished examining the boat, which told him absolutely nothing, Mr. King had completely disappeared. Snubby couldn’t see a sign of him anywhere. He looked down at the patient spaniel.

“Could you track him, Loony, do you think?” he asked. “Then we could follow him without getting lost.”

Loony looked up intelligently and wagged his tail. “All right - track him then,” said Snubby, waving his hand vaguely in the direction in which Mr. King had gone.

Loony started off eagerly, for all the world as if he knew exactly what Snubby meant. Snubby was delighted.

“He’s the cleverest dog that was ever born,” he said to himself, as he followed after the pattering spaniel. But when Loony had led him to eight rabbit-holes in succession, he began to change his mind.

“You’re daft,” he said to Loony, gloomily. “Do you really think I said ‘find rabbit-holes’? Do use a little common sense, Loony.”

Loony barked and wagged his tail, and started off to find yet another hole. But Snubby had had enough. He was tired, muddy, hungry and thirsty. In addition he felt most annoyed with Mr. King. His tracking had taught him nothing except that Mr. King liked long and apparently aimless walks - and he had seen a hidden boat which didn’t seem to belong to anyane at all. Mr. King had enjoyed a jolly good tea and had now completely disappeared into the blue. Snubby would get lost if he tried to follow his trail. He must go back to the stream, follow it to the river, then follow the river to the part he knew, and so get home.

It

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